Latest news from the ACTA Watchdog, updated 24/7

County Board Says Nyet on Cutting Real Estate Tax Rate

In their final wrap-up budget worksession this morning, the Arlington County Board decided "it will approve an 8-cent tax rate reduction, dropping the rate from 95.8 cents to 87.8 cents per hundred dollars of assessed value," according to the county's press release issued after the Board's morning meeting. It will officially approve this rate when it adopts the Fiscal Year 2006 budget on Saturday. Buried near the end of page two of the press release is a key fact that all Arlington homeowners need to keep foremost in mind when they vote in November: "with the 8-cent tax reduction, taxes for the average residential property will increase 13.6 percent." Keep in mind that while inflation over the past year has been under 4%, the average home increased 24% in value. Guess the Board's new policy is that it's now more important to plunder the taxpayers and feed the beast of government rather than being fiscally responsible with the taxpayers' money!